Any Luke updates?

Posted 23 February 2012 - 09:48 PM

Quema

Reserve Team

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184 posts

Supports:NY/NJ

Seems bizzare that they wouldn't ask for a work permit that extends into the postseason. Wouldn't this be the case with any foreign player?

I have it in my head that Luke's visa length was shorter than usual because of his criminal history, but I don't know if that's true or not. Are visas even issued like that? I mean, is X visa always Y length of time, or can they be changed case by case?

Posted 23 February 2012 - 10:00 PM

Voice of Reason II

Dir. of Football Operations

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6,266 posts

I have it in my head that Luke's visa length was shorter than usual because of his criminal history, but I don't know if that's true or not. Are visas even issued like that? I mean, is X visa always Y length of time, or can they be changed case by case?

Case by case. Ahmadinejad, for example, is allowed in to NY only for a specific time for the UN General Assembly and his movement is restricted. They can set your visa for any length of time they want.

Because of Luke's record he will be reviewed at length every time. The person(s) who reviewed his application this year is likely different than the one who did last time. He may have had a lenient one last time and a hard ass this time. A previous success may not carry weight with the next one.

Posted 24 February 2012 - 01:10 PM

Speaking as someone who's gone through this process with visa sponsors etc. - I feel a little ambivalent on this.

Would it have been a big deal for someone at the front office to write the date down in a diary? No.

And you'd like to think their lawyer would have emphasized to him that this was not something to fuck around with. I am totally amazed that he overstayed his visa. From Homeland Security's point of view it's not just a paperwork mistake. It's basically saying, "Yes I was a bad boy in the past, but I've reformed and I understand the gravity of you letting me into the country. I won't violate that trust." And then instantly violating the terms of entry...

But those things aside, ultimately the visa page is in Luke's passport. He's the one who has to convince the people at the embassy and he's the one they'll look at as having been cavalier with his visa.

I had eight years of this sort of processing before I became a citizen, and being aware of the precariousness of my status affected lots of small decisions I took in daily life - and I always made sure I was out of the country when I was supposed to be. Yes, I had legal help from my employers, and could ask advice from my lawyer, but at some point it was on me to take care of the most basic item of business. It's noone else's life.

AND if I have to change my avatar again I will be mighty annoyed...

"I guess everybody has their own thing that they yell into a well", Bill Callahan